Martha Meets Lucy

Brown Butter Bourbon Banana Bread (with Streusel!)

I had a whole post written about this, but there's nothing else to tell you that the title hasn't already. Brown butter. Bourbon. Streusel. (The bananas are not the important part here).

Fine. I'll try to tell you more. Brown butter and bourbon are BFF's. They totes gave each other best friend necklaces when they were in first grade and they both still have them. Sometimes I smell bourbon and think, "hmmm...smells brown buttery".

This bread. Oh, this bread. None of the components will jump up and punch you in the face. Except maybe the streusel, but that's just the way a streusel laced with big flakes of salt is in anything. As an added bonus for people who don't like bananas (aka me), the bourbon and brown butter mask a lot of the more...unpleasant flavors. Instead, its oh so subtley banana, but a major punch of nutty caramelly-ness.

 

I decided to double the streusel after I took this picture. You can thank me later.

 

Jeeze...I'm drooling again. I tried. I can't talk about this anymore. Just do it.

Grapefruit Jalapeno Sangria

“So what should I bring?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

“BYOB. And yes I’m sure. We have plenty of food.”

You guys, I went to my first BBQ/pool party of the year and I didn’t bring anything to eat. No dips (crack or otherwise), no sides, no desserts. Nothing. Except my beverage of choice.

Apparently I have awesome friends who want me to be able to show up and just relax. I know. I know. Its rough being me. Sometimes I forget that the majority of my friends are actually good cooks. And maybe sometimes they want to show off their skills.

*I would NEVER show off in the kitchen.*

I should have known that the girl who introduced me to the Breakfast Sandwich burger would have a BBQ covered.

But if she thought I was showing up with beer, she was sorely mistaken. You won’t let me bring food? Fine. I’ll bring the best sangria you’ve ever tasted then force you to drink it with me.

Ok, maybe I didn't force them to drink it. I encouraged everyone to try it, then watched them down their beers so they could switch drinks.

I think its safe to say that sangria is the perfect summer beverage. Especially when you’re floating in a pool. Its a drink and a snack. And it tastes best in the summer when all those practically overripe berries are begging to be used. As much as I love a traditional red sangria, I knew that I wanted to do something a little different for this party. I started off with my approximation of the sangria this restaurant serves at brunch. They start with elderflower syrup, cucumber, blueberries, raspberries, mint and grapefruit juice then they add a bottle of champagne. Let me tell you, it is heaven.

But the true genius (modest as always) was my decision to add a thinly sliced jalapeno.

Oh em gee. Jalapeno takes sangria from normal to out of this world. No one will confuse this sangria with the sangria from a family friendly restaurant.

If a sassy, gay Latin man was turned into a drink, he would be this sangria. Its fruity, sassy, and slightly shocking. 

So I guess its a good thing I didn’t get to bring food. If I had I never would have made my new favorite sangria.

Watermelon and Feta Salad

Now that summer is officially here (aka I turned on the air conditioning and Memorial Day is almost here) its time to discuss watermelon. (To people in the Southern Hemisphere, I'm sorry. Maybe bookmark this recipe and make this instead.)

Now don’t get me wrong, I love watermelon plain. Or with a squeeze of lime. Or juiced and added to a mojito. But I absolutely adore watermelon with something spicy. My mom used to make “Fire and Ice Salsa” which used watermelon in place of tomato. (This was years before the fruit salsa became super trendy. I know because people used to think she was crazy for making it until they tried it.)

Then I saw a recipe for watermelon salad. These days, its not so unique. But that doesn’t mean its not delicious. If you can resist crunchy cool watermelon with pickled red onions, salty feta crumbles, and the kick of jalapeno mellowed by a touch of mint there might be something wrong with you.

 

after cutting up the watermelon my camera died. I charged it for 5 minutes, but only got one picture out of it. I need to remember that iphones have cameras.

 

Just saying.

And if you’re bringing this over to a Memorial Day BBQ, get out your melon baller because you’re going to want to use the rind as the bowl. Trust me, after a few watermelon mojitos, you won’t want to have to remember to bring your serving bowl home. And watermelon balls (hehehe) are so stinkin’ cute.

So on this glorious 3 day weekend that I will be spending at work (where I guarantee it will be mind numbingly slow) eat some watermelon. And have a drink and float in the pool for me. But please wear your sunscreen. Don’t be like my dance instructor who thought the water would protect his pasty white skin from burning to a lobster color. Again. Skin cancer isn’t a good look.

Normally you would get a recipe right here, but WAIT there’s more! Now how much would you pay? I’m hoping its $23.10.

When I was but a wee young lass in the first weeks of my culinary school training, I went to New Orleans for SOS’s annual conference. Also on the trip were two girls who took the trip far more seriously than I. They never had to be woken up to get their butts to general session, nor were they out till 3 in the morning (if they were, they hid it well).

For the last two years, they’ve been writing a cookbook.

Which is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Its full of recipes for family meals served at some of the world’s best restaurants. To give you some perspective, the forward is by Ferran Adrià. There are recipes from Ad Hoc, WD-50, and The Fat Duck. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.

I highly suggest you do the same.

Now have some salad.

Chewy No Bake Fruit and Nut Bars

I’m sorry. I thought I would be back, but honestly? There hasn’t been much around these parts to post about. Or if I did make something worth posting, I didn’t measure or photograph it. I did measure and photograph these bars, but typepad doesn't seem to want to upload them right now and it took 5 minutes to upload one picture. So look at these much prettier pictures from White On Rice couple.

A good food blogger I am not.

A new job and workout regime plus my regular dancing schedule has kept me on my toes. Which is why I am so thankful I have these fruit and nut bars to keep me going.

I have been obsessed with Kind Bars for quite some time. The fact that I could see whole almonds and cranberries reassured me that I was eating something healthy in a way my beloved Peanut Butter and Chocolate Clif Bar can not. And now I’m obsessed.

Running late for work? Grab a bar. Going for a run? Eat a bar first. Done with the run? Eat a bar. Dessert? Bar. Waiting 5 minutes for a picture of a bar to freakin upload? Eat a bar.

Seriously, I would say it needs to stop but then I think of all the possibilities. Coconut cashew with dried mango? Pecan with peach? Walnut apple? Subbing out some of the honey with pureed dates? Cookie butter instead of almond butter?

Seriously, the possibilities are endless. I think the only thing I wouldn’t change is the puffed rice cereal. The recipe calls for brown puffed rice cereal, but that requires a trip to Whole Foods and I am not going to do battle with that Real Housewife of Orange County laden parking lot for anything less than Maldon Sea Salt and my Chipotle Garlic Hot Sauce. I can only be around silicone, bleach, and spray tan for so long before I want to point out the irony of them shopping at a natural foods store. So I used the rice crispies that were hiding in the pantry.

Ok. Sometimes I’ll brave the parking lot for cheese. And their fig and nut loaf. (Sounds gross, but so freaking good. Note to self: fig and marcona almond bars)

Go make yourself some bars. I promise its cheaper than a Kind Bar habit. Oh, and if you decide to mix it up, please report back.

How to Store Strawberries

This feels like kind of a lame post given that there is no recipe and the pictures were taken with my phone. And its quite likely that it is lame, but with the rest of North America quickly approaching strawberry season, I have information that needs to be shared.

You know that excited feeling when you’re at the farm stand (or farmer’s market) and the first good strawberries of the year show up? The strawberries that are red all the way up to the leaves? The kind you just know are going to go to mush in two days but you buy the three pack anyway because SHUT UP. Local strawberries!

 

This berry was purchased 3 days ago. No mush in sight.

Well you’re in luck today because after years of testing, the brain trust made up of me and my mom have figured out how to store strawberries so they will remain mush, mold, and soft spot free for a week. Maybe more, but ours never last that long.

Geeze, I wish Billy Mays was here to tell you about this for me. He’d make it so much more exciting. AND SHOUTEY!

Anyways, step 1: Procure a tupperware large enough to hold your strawberries in 1-2 layers. (Note: it needs to fit in your fridge too)

Step 2: Cover the bottom of said tupperware with a double layer of paper towels. Yes, it has to be a double layer. If you’re thinking “Oh. Em. Gee. Deanna, a double layer of paper towels? Kill trees much?” just know the paper towels can be reused next week. And the week after. Basically until the end of strawberry season.

Step 3: Put your berries in STEM SIDE DOWN. Even if you’re doing a double layer, try to keep the stem side down. I like to work my way across the three pack in layers rather than emptying one carton and moving on, but that’s probably just me being weird and feeling bad for the berries on the bottom.

 

 

I have pictures of the container when it was full but I can't find my card reader. So you get a 1/2 empty box instead.

Step 4: Put on a lid and store in the fridge.

Now, you may notice that I didn’t wash the berries before I put them in the fridge as that is basically you begging them to become mush.

And since I feel like this is a fairly safe (and maybe judgement free zone), I’m going to tell you the only time I wash berries before I eat them is if there is visible dirt. I know the purveyors and we’ve been buying berries from them for as long as I can remember so it doesn’t worry me. I also grew up eating vegetables straight from the garden...carrots got rinsed off with a hose, and tomatoes were eaten straight from the vine. Please do not take this time to tell me how gross I am, or how I’m going to drop dead tomorrow from E. coli.* (I do wash food really well if someone who is immunocompromised is coming over for dinner.)

So, go forth and buy strawberries. And have them last for a week! Or more! NOW HOW MUCH WOULD YOU PAY?

Strawberry-Sour Cream Ice Cream

Ya’ll, I’m starting to feel bad. I’m starting to worry that I’m using too much equipment that people with normal amounts of kitchen storage just don’t have. The KitchenAid. I know they’re expensive and an investment and most people get theirs via getting hitched, but those of you that don’t have one will not get to know the joys of homemade brioche* Then there was a waffle iron. I thought everyone would own one. I should have realized that just because I can’t live without one doesn’t mean that applies to everyone.

 

(If you don’t want to buy one because it “only” makes waffles, you are wrong. I use it to make paninis too. Boo-ya.)

(And there is nothing wrong with “only” making waffles. They are a gift from God to breakfast. Amen)

There is more specialty equipment in this house than in a small restaurant. Meat grinder? Sausage stuffer (hehehe)? Coffee grinder dedicated to spices? Dehydrator? Meat slicer? Chaffing dishes? Pasta roller? Ricer?

Check to all of them. And I’m sure I’m forgetting something.

Oh yeah, the ice cream maker. My old one, may it rot in hell, would not freeze ice cream. The engine ran too hot and would melt the freezer solution before the ice cream was frozen. One time I actually plugged it into an extension cord and put it in the freezer while it was still running. It still wouldn’t freeze.

Then, this baby came into my life. And it freezes like a dream. Sure, its a little loud, but I think all ice cream makers are and that’s why I run it in the garage (or the guest room). The ice cream making possibilities are endless, especially if you buy David’s ice cream magnum opus.

 

Then make the peanut butter chocolate ice cream. And the vanilla. And the sweet potato. Then when spring rolls around and locally grown strawberries decide to grace you with their presence make the Strawberry-Sour Cream ice cream. Its the easiest ice cream to whip up on a lazy afternoon...especially when summer rolls around and it is next to impossible to leave the pool because there are no eggs involved. No heating cream. No tempering. You can make it when you refill you cocktail. Yay for multitasking!

So you slice some strawberries. Add some sugar and vodka (you don’t want to be drinking alone, so let the strawberries have some) and let them sit for an hour.  Give em’ a stir when you realize the ice in your drink has melted. Dump the strawberries juice and all into a blender (or get out your immersion blender). Add some sour cream and regular cream and give it a whirl. Put it in the fridge and take a nap. When you wake up, pour it into the ice cream maker and freezer according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Here, have a close up too.

I like it the best straight from the ice cream maker, unhardened. I think the flavor of the strawberry and the tang of the sour cream really comes through that way.